Sword of Gryffindor
The Sword of Gryffindor was a thousand-year-old, goblin-made sword owned by the famed wizard Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The sword was later used in Albus Dumbledore's and Harry Potter's hunt for Horcruxes, as a tool of destruction against the Horcruxes, as means to make Lord Voldemort mortal again. History Early years The sword of Gryffindor was made a thousand years ago by goblins, the magical world's most skilled metalworkers, and is therefore enchanted. Fashioned from pure silver, it is inset with rubies, the stone that represents Gryffindor in the hour-glasses that count the house points at Hogwarts. Godric Gryffindor's name is engraved just beneath the hilt. The sword was made to Godric Gryffindor's specifications by Ragnuk the First, finest of the goblin silversmiths, and therefore King (in goblin culture, the ruler does not work less than the others, but more skillfully). When it was finished, Ragnuk coveted it so much that he pretended that Gryffindor had stolen it from him, and sent minions to steal it back. Gryffindor defended himself with his wand, but did not kill his attackers. Instead he sent them back to their king bewitched, to deliver the threat that if he ever tried to steal from Gryffindor again, Gryffindor would unsheathe the sword against them all. The goblin king took the threat seriously and left Gryffindor in possession of his rightful property, but remained resentful until he died. A legend persists, in some sections of the goblin community, that Gryffindor actually stole the sword from Ragnuk. This is partly a result of belief among some goblins that goblin-made items rightfully belong to goblins, rather than the heirs of those who may have purchased them. Affray in the Chamber of Secrets In May of 1993, the sword materialised inside the old school Sorting Hat and appeared to Harry Potter, whom the hat was given to when he arrived in the Chamber of Secrets to save his best friend's sister, Ginny Weasley, from being drained of her life force by Tom Riddle's Diary and eaten by the Basilisk. Harry used the sword to kill the Basilisk, which was hiding inside the bowels of the Chamber. This caused the sword to be imbued with basilisk venom (since goblin-made items only imbibe what makes them stronger) and hence gained the ability to destroy Horcruxes, although Harry instead used one of the Basilisk's fangs to destroy the diary, which eliminated the sentient memory of Tom Riddle it contained and restored Ginny's vitality. After the events of that year, the sword resided in the Headmaster’s office and was kept safe within a glass case. Hunt for Horcruxes During the summer of 1996, Albus Dumbledore used the sword on the Gaunt family ring. The sword cracked the stone in the ring, thus destroying it as a Horcrux. It still worked as the Resurrection Stone. Dumbledore tried to use it to talk to his deceased relatives, but failed. Before he died, Dumbledore entrusted the sword to Harry in his will. However, Rufus Scrimgeour claimed that the sword was not Dumbledore's to give away. The Minister stated that it was a school heirloom, not personal property and refused to give it to Harry. This caused the trio substantial problems. Dumbledore placed an identical copy of the sword in his office, because he knew that the Ministry of Magic would try to confiscate it and hid the real sword in a hole in the wall behind his portrait. Sure enough, the sword on display in the Headmaster's office was later taken by Rufus Scrimgeour for examination. When the sword was returned to the Headmaster's office by the Ministry, Dumbledore's Army students Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Luna Lovegood attempted to steal it for Harry. The group was caught and punished as a result. Following that incident, Severus Snape passed the counterfeit sword to Bellatrix Lestrange Bellatrix then stored it in her Gringotts vault alongside Helga Hufflepuff's cup, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Upon discovering where Harry and his friends were camping out, Dumbledore's portrait instructed Snape to give Harry the real sword without Harry knowing that it was Snape, in case Voldemort found out through Legilimency on Harry. Snape deposited the real sword in a frozen lake in the Forest of Dean and left a Patronus to guide Harry to the sword. When Harry tried to retrieve the sword, the Locket of Slytherin closed around his neck and attempted to strangle him, sensing that its destruction was near. Ron Weasley came to Harry's rescue, retrieved the sword from the lake and used it to stab the locket, destroying it. Skirmish at Malfoy Manor Later, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were captured by the Death Eaters and sent to Malfoy Manor. Harry and Ron were imprisoned in the cellar along with Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, Mr Ollivander and the goblin Griphook while Hermione was being tortured and interrogated by Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix demanded to know where the trio came into the possession of the sword, thinking that they had broke into her vault for it. She summoned Griphook to verify the sword, and at Harry's request, Griphook lied and said that it was a fake. When Harry and the rest were saved by Dobby to Shell Cottage, Harry asked for Griphook's assistance to break into Bellatrix Lestrange's vault at Gringotts, as he suspected the Cup of Hufflepuff was hidden within it. Griphook, impressed by Harry's respectful treatment of the house elf, agreed to help on the grounds that he would be given the real sword as payment. Harry agreed reluctantly. When their break-in was discovered, Griphook seized the real sword and ran with it. Afterwards, the goblins were summoned to Malfoy Manor to deliver the news of the Gringotts break-in to Voldemort; in fit of blind rage, Voldemort murdered all those present, including Griphook, who still had the sword in his possession -- the sword vanished from his hands and back into the Sorting Hat. Battle of Hogwarts In the Battle of Hogwarts, the sword reappeared in the Sorting Hat for Neville Longbottom and following Harry Potter's orders he used it to behead Nagini, Voldemort's snake and his last remaining Horcrux in a single stroke of the blade, rendering Voldemort a mortal man once more. The sword was last mentioned lying beside Neville in the Great Hall following the conclusion of the final battle and the end to the Second Wizarding War. Physical appearance The Sword of Gryffindor is made of pure silver, and its hilt is set with egg-sized rubies — the gemstone that is used to symbolise the House of Gryffindor at Hogwarts. The full name of Godric Gryffindor is also engraved just beneath the hilt. Magical properties Much like a wand, the sword of Gryffindor appears to be almost sentient, responding to appeals for help by Gryffindor's chosen successors. Whenever a "true Gryffindor" needs it, the Sword will let itself be pulled out of another of Godric Gryffindor's artefacts - the Sorting Hat. As Goblin's silver, it imbibes only substances which strengthens it, which can then be used against enemies. This means that it never requires cleaning. Due to Harry Potter killing Salazar Slytherin's Basilisk with it, the sword is imbued with Basilisk venom and can destroy Horcruxes.